Short Stories

When Joseph was in kindergarten, one of my favorite things was the story journal I did with him. I am now doing that with Elijah. I have them draw a picture, take a photo, or cut out a picture and then dictate a short story to me based on the picture. It's not really about writing skill; it's about them seeing their own words on paper and being able to go back and read them (or have me read them) over and over. I love hearing what they want me to write down. It shows me a little of what's in their heads. Joseph still treasures his story journal and Elijah is already proud of his.

I wanted to share one from each boy's kindergarten journal. There were so many to choose from in Joseph's.....I mean, the kid had the most elaborate names for characters in his stories and amazingly descriptive battle stories. Elijah's first few stories reflect a certain desire to see bad guys (like pirates) actually be good guys. There's violence in both journals. Some stories are a bit PG-13. Here are two:

"The Fox and the Pig" (by Joseph) - Inspired by a picture of a pig he drew

Once upon a time, there lived a pig and fox and they were friends. And then they lived in a huge, huge, huge forest--even huger than the dinosaurs' forest [from a prior story]. And then they went for a hunt for animals. First, the pig ate his kind of yucky food and then the fox ate a giraffe. The End.

"A Giant That Never Stepped on People" (by Elijah) - Inspired by a picture of a giant he drew

Once upon a time, there was a giant that never stepped on people or ate people. And, he never acted mean in other states. He lived in the United States of America in Texas. The End.